Truth in the Warped Mirror
by Nira Rose
Summary: "The distorted balance between Light and Dark hurled him from his world, the warped fabric of Time snatched him into another. And so Spirit found himself staring at a child with changing eyes who said things that contradicted everything he knew to be true. And then it hit him: the child was insane." Collab with inuyasha 303; The Links Return crossover with Shadowed Truth.
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

Well, hi there! To be clear, this is Nira Rose talking/typing. Lanna's posting on DA while I post here, so we're doing our own ANs as far as I know... Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been working on Shadowed Truth or Their World; college has been keeping be busy... Summer break's in a few weeks, though, so I'll have free time soon! Anyway, this is a collab I've been working on for a while with **inuyasha 303**, AKA **LannaMisho** on DeviantArt. It's a crossover of fanfictions instead of categories, between her fic The Links Return and my Shadowed Truth (the rewrite, to be clear)... The original idea was simple: Spirit (her white/shining Link OC) gets thrown into the Shadowed Truth version of Hyrule and meets Wish. And so this was born! Reading The Links Return and Shadowed Truth (rewritten) before reading this is advised... It's set further ahead in ST than I've written, so SPOILER ALERT!, and between chapter 11 and 12 in The Links Return.

Disclaimer: Neither of us owns LoZ. We own our plot, respective OCs, and respective copies of manga/games/etc.. That's it. In short: it's FANFICTION. Shouldn't that be self-explanatory enough already?

Enjoy!

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**Prologue**

The walls between the worlds of light and dark were weakened. The new evil to impose itself on Hyrule disrupted the magic that flowed evenly between the dimensions. With the disruption, natural energy became wild and independent. Light and Dark clashed, mixing in harmony while struggling in opposition. The energy bubbled hazardously and space itself shuddered.

It was when that confliction met a peak, that Light reached out and wrapped itself around another source of energy. A source that lifted his sword to call for Light to purify the area. The magic coiled itself around him. A powerful magic. Power he hadn't felt since before his 'birth.' Pure Light energy that had filled him to bursting and for a single moment, left him unaware of anything else.

In the next moment his companions were gone and just like his birth he found himself somewhere new and unfamiliar. Unlike his birth, however, he had no idea why he was there or what he was supposed to do.

**~...~**

The sun was setting over Hyrule Field as a group of travelers gathered around a small campfire, chatting amiably. One member of the group seemed to be dozing off, but suddenly perked up, his pointed ears twitching.

"I'm g-going to go for a w-walk," that one said with a slight stutter, standing up and ambling towards the nearby woods. He was decked out almost entirely in whites and pale greys, his almost-blindingly white hair tinged with a soft lavender-violet at the tips. Judging by his height and childish features, he was a young boy, smaller than the rest of the group.

"Be careful, these woods get weird at night," another, a strange-looking Hylian teen with almost unnaturally pale skin, violet hair and flame red eyes warned lightly. "Try and be back by midnight this time, okay?" he joked, ruffling the former's snowy hair.

Wide pale-rose-pink eyes with a hint of lavender crinkled up cheerfully in response as the white-clad boy giggled. "Heehee! N-no promises~! S-silly Big Brother, there's n-n-nothing to worry about! I can defend myself j-just fine, and it's not l-like I'm alone..."

"Ptoo~!" a muffled sound came from beneath the boy's hat, sounding like it was agreeing with him.

"Heh... That's true. See ya later, then. Don't get lost in there!"

"I w-won't!"

With that, the boy ambled off into the woods, his steps gaining purpose- and the slightest trace of a limp- the moment he left sight of the camp.

_'I sense something strange...'_he thought to himself, fearlessly heading for the source of the power he had picked up on back at camp.

**~...~**

Something strange had happened. Something unexpected. Being magically abducted during his enlightening and transported without explanation, to a seemingly random location, had not been part of the plan.

Spirit, the light being sent by the three Goddesses of Hyrule to aid the heroes in their quest, looked around the wooded area in a final search for the others. Whatever had happened had separated him from his companions. However it had happened while he was at the mercy of Farore, the Goddess of Courage, so he accepted it without hesitation. It wasn't his job to question Her will. However it didn't seem like a good sign that his charges were no longer with him.

These thoughts registered in his head in a single moment as his strange, empty white eyes finished their search. The sun had just about set, but while the increasing darkness disturbed him, it didn't hinder his vision any. The light he naturally gave off illuminated his surroundings and he had strong eyesight. His expression didn't portray anything resembling confusion, worry, fear, or any other emotion; none of the feelings one would normally feel in a similar situation. Instead his face remained completely blank. His skin, which was a deep, dark tan seemed even darker than it was due to his pure white hair and clothes.

Upon confirming that there was no one else around, Spirit sheathed his sword and started walking. He didn't know where he was and he didn't know why he was there or how to get back. In addition, he didn't have any guidance on where to go next.

Still, he had the one instruction he had been given by The Golden Three: to bring the light back to Hyrule.

And _that _was his primary objective. He continued towards the nearest 'darkness' he could sense.

**~...~**

The boy limped resolutely through the rapidly darkening forest, homing in on a strong source of light. He didn't seem to have any trouble seeing where he was going, though he bore no torch or lantern.

"H-hello...? Is anyone th-th-there?" the boy called out after a while, doing his best to sound confident in spite of how nervous he was.

_'Wh-what if this is a trap...?'_ he thought, suddenly apprehensive. _'M-maybe I shouldn't have come here. These woods are dangerous at night... Well, too late now, anyway...!'_

"I f-feel your presence... y-your light... P-please, sh-show yourself!"

**~...~**

Spirit hesitated as a voice filtered through the trees. He had been with the Links long enough to know each of their voices by heart. The one that called out to him wasn't one that he recognized. His hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

There shouldn't be anyone around with an unfamiliar voice. Malachi, the new evil being corrupting Hyrule, had stolen everyone away. It was that which forced the others to embark on their journey. It was due to that evil that Red Link had cried to the Goddesses for help and they had sent him. Not that he could feel Malachi's presence in any direction any longer; the suffocating feeling of evil that had been all around before had suddenly disappeared. Likely it had learned how to hide itself from the small magic he had been given. Yet another delay to his mission.

There weren't supposed to be other people in Hyrule and it wouldn't be the first time Malachi had taken another's form in order to trick them.

However, at the same time, it wouldn't be the first person that Malachi had missed in his mass-kidnapping spree, either. Whatever called to him didn't feel like Malachi's tainted darkness, so he didn't draw his sword. There was no reason not to meet with the approaching stranger and he continued in that direction, not saying a word.

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That's all for the prologue~... It's short, but that's because it's the prologue. :D Review please! We both like feedback! Heck, you could even ask us different questions individually if you'd like...


	2. Chapter 1

Aaaand chapter 1 is finally here. Sorry we took so long... Enjoy! We don't own LoZ, but Spirit is Lanna's and Wish is mine.

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A boy dressed in white and pale grey stood beneath the trees, facing Spirit. He was wearing what appeared to be a more child-oriented version of Link's tunic and his hat strongly resembled Shadow's with its gravity-defying tip that sometimes moved, shifting lazily in its relaxed curl. Now that he was closer, the strong feeling of pure power radiating from the child became clearer, a strong, gentle light mixed with a strange feeling of darkness and the faint yet clear trace of divine power left behind by Farore's blessing.

The boy was quiet as the stranger with the strong aura approached, though he seemed quite interested in the newcomer's appearance.

"Y-you are... you l-look kinda like... m-me?" he asked softly at last, blinking at the elder with wide rose-pink eyes tinged with a faint hint of lavender. "And y-you're _g-glowing_... Who... Wh-who are y-you...?"

Spirit had come to a stop the moment the boy came into sight. Perplexity tugged at a corner of his mind. There wasn't a hint of it across his face, but the child confused and surprised him. It wasn't the boy's appearance that concerned him, for he had only met a few people in his short time, most of whom looked just like each other; nor was it simply the boy's presence in a place where others were supposed to be gone. In fact, neither of those thoughts crossed his mind.

The thing that startled him was the darkness. Never had he felt darkness, the very thing he had been created to destroy, hiding itself behind layers of light like it was in the stranger. It had entangled itself so deeply in that body that the two elements almost seemed blended. The very presence of that darkness made his nerves burn. However, he released the sword hilt he'd reached for and lowered his guard with ease.

The Goddess of Courage had touched the child. If he felt darkness, he was mistaken. At least, its presence there could not be the boy's fault. Whatever it was, it was not strong enough to be the darkness he'd been following, though the child seemed to have come from the same direction as it regardless.

"I am Shining Link," he answered after a moment of silence, his voice deep but dry, "given the name Spirit. Sent to return light to Hyrule by The Three."

The boy grinned. "Ohh, so y-you know M-Mama Farore and Auntie Nayru and Auntie Din!" he said brightly, his eyes full of innocent curiosity and warmth.

"C-could you be... me from a d-different Hyrule, m-maybe?" he asked, pausing.

A giggle. "Naah, th-that can't b-be, can it? It w-wouldn't make any s-sense! Y-you'd be in the l-land with l-lots of masks anyway if y-you were... You l-look a l-lot older than m-me, too... But s-still... No, wait, if y-you were me, th-then..."

He paused again, shaking his head a little. "Umm, n-n-never mind... Anyway, it's n-nice to meet you, Mister Spirit! I'm th-the White Link; the 'wish to become light'! My n-name is Wish~!" the little whitette trilled. "Wish Kariko~!"

He tilted his head to one side suddenly as if confused. "W-wait... you s-said you were here to 'rid Hyrule of d-darkness and return the l-light'? But wh-why? The light is every-wh-wh-ere, and th-the darkness... It hasn't d-d-done any-th-th-thing wrong! If it w-w-w-weren't for dark-k-k-k-ness, I—! U-umm... Th-th-that's n-not imp-p-portant."

The boy had become very tense as he spoke with an increasingly pronounced stutter, abruptly changing the subject.

"A-anyway! Wh-what I mean is, w-well... The b-bad people threatening Hyrule n-now are strong, sure, b-b-but they haven't t-taken Hyrule's light. They h-haven't even _tried_to, as f-far as I know. Th-they're after r-revenge, n-not Hyrule... for n-now, anyway... We're d-dealing with this r-really, really mean l-lady named Veran! She hates Link and w-wants to get rid of us. Th-there's al-l-so this..."

The boy paused, a strangely familiar, frighteningly fierce scowl darkening his previously kind and gentle face.

"...This... _creature _in the form of a man on her side, too, named Onox," he continued, the stutter disappearing, its rightful place usurped by a faint, vaguely familiar voice overlaying Wish's light, childish tones instead as his emotions rang heavy with anger, disgust, and something else Spirit could not quite place.

"He... Just by _being there_, he sucks the life out of everything— I'm not sure, but he can probably do it on purpose, too! It's _disgusting_!"

That so-called "trace" of darkness within Wish was at the forefront, revealing itself to be quite a bit larger than Spirit had thought, a condensed mass of shadow that seemed to fit snugly at the boy's very core. The light and darkness inside the child were both positively roiling now, seething with the force of his emotions.

**"**_**I'll never forgive him**_**!**_**"**_the other voice hissed angrily, completely eclipsing the light, childish tone now.

_**"I'll show him the true—"**_Wish abruptly cut himself off, the roiling energies slowly calming as the little boy closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

He shook himself out of his thoughts, the scowl having faded into a strange mournful look , and, as if flipping a switch, was suddenly all smiles again. "S-s-s-so, umm, who h-have you been fight-t-ting?"

Spirit's eyebrows were scrunched just slightly, as he'd been having trouble following the boy's unusual speech pattern. He possessed very few memories of other people, none of whom resembled the boy or spoke so strangely. He didn't understand why the other would keep repeating sounds and seemed to struggle to speak even the simplest words or why his voice had sounded so familiar for a moment.

Still, though strange, the child was favored by Farore and Spirit replied as though he'd been ordered to.

"My companions and I have set off to destroy an enemy of Light. A thing that calls itself Malachi. It's drowned Hyrule in darkness, kidnapped its occupants and is killing the land."

Finished with his answer, there was one thing the child had said that had caught is attention. "You are an acquaintance of Link's?"

"Acc-... Akwee-... Akway-... ...umm... Y-yeeees?" the boy answered a bit awkwardly, struggling with the clearly unfamiliar term. "I th-think... Th-that word means I know th-the person, right?"

"Anyway, Mal-a-kee? Who's h-he? I've never heard of or r-read about him before. As far as I know, n-nobody's really been d-disappearing either! And, umm, wh-when it comes to shad-dows..."

He tapped one finger to his bottom lip thoughtfully, that oddly nervous look back again.

"Hmm... H-h-h-how to say th-this... It's b-big brother Shadow's sp-spesh... s-speshalt-tee...? umm, wh-what he's good at, and I know-w I have some of th-that power in me too, b-but I don't th-think I know any other p-people like that except for wh-what I've r-read in the b-books of legends Auntie Nayru sh-shares with me... Umm, are y-you okay? You seem k-kinda nervous!"

It wasn't nervousness, but a mild bewilderment, and Spirit shook his head. The boy's story was completely wrong, this he knew. The boy called Shadow his brother, which was impossible. Link had no brothers, therefore Shadow couldn't have any either. Spirit contemplated that for a moment before realizing that he could very well be wrong. He had no knowledge of a sibling, but also had no knowledge of having no siblings. The others had not mentioned one and because he had no memory, it had never occurred to him to ask. The memories he was privy to featured only a father.

If the boy said that he was Link's brother, then so be it. The boy had been touched by the object of his complete devotion so it simply didn't occur to him that Wish could be lying and he accepted that he might just be wrong.

As to the rest of it; either the boy was speaking in riddles, which Spirit had no head for, or he spoke truthfully and had been rather horribly misinformed.

"You are mistaken," he answered calmly. "I am well enough. Is this 'big brother Shadow' that you speak of the same Shadow of the hero Link?"

He wished to return to the fours' sides immediately, but the child said he only knew Link and called Shadow 'brother.' It wasn't the most ideal situation, but if he had to first locate Shadow in order to return to the others, then he would. It was only him who was bothered by the delay to their mission anyway. And he was supposed to be _their_guide.

Wish nodded. "V— s-someone traveling w-with us calls him th-that sometimes as a j-joke. He's not a _real_sh-shadow, though... M-my brother was just, well... c-c-cursed. H-him and Vio were fr-friends when they were l-little, and-..."

***rustle***

"Huh? What's th-that...? Umm, something m-mean is probably n-nearby... But wh-where...?"

The boy quickly took up a more combat-ready stance, looking around worriedly as something jumped down from his hat to his shoulder, a little crystal glowing with Light energy whizzing past one pointed little ear to smack a red Octorok in the face right before it could spit at him. The offending monster ran off whimpering with its proverbial tail between its legs and would probably have its hands clapped over the achy red spot now adorning the white 'mask' part of its face if it had them.

"Thanks, Okky! Y-you're always h-helping me~..."

He giggled happily and reached up to brush away a stray lock of lavender-tinged hair, revealing an abnormally small Golden Octorok looking quite proud of herself as she stood triumphantly on his shoulder, her pose comically reminiscent of the 'hero' poses little boys took after slaying their imaginary dragons and rescuing the princess. The tiny monster's back was strange-looking, bearing a faceted texture like one of the rocks Octoroks spit out. The strange texture extended to the tops of her legs and the 'tube' part of her mouth, the mask-like part of her face and most of her legs smooth, and she was wearing an adorable white bow roughly the width of her head.

"Ptoo~" the little thing cooed happily, revealing that yes, Octoroks actually _could_make that sound without actually spitting rocks out, as she blinked up at Spirit with big, black-rimmed baby blue eyes.

"Mister Spirit, this is m-my friend, Okky!" the cheerful boy introduced. "Or is the right w-word 'pet'? I guess she's kinda both, r-really~!"

He giggled, gently petting the odd creature with one gloved hand. "I'm s-sorry if she startled y-you, Okky likes to snuggle herself into m-my hair and hide under my hat a lot of the t-time. And don't worry; sh-she's not dangerous, I promise!"

Spirit, who had drawn his sword the moment 'Okky' and the other Octorok had appeared, stared at the twain with suspicion and surprise. It was his first encounter with the monster itself, since Malachi's creatures were not the same as the ones that Vaati and the Gerudo King had unleashed. But he recognized them from his memories. They were monsters that marched to the bid of darkness; things that must be destroyed.

So why was the other holding it and calling it 'pet'? Why did nothing the strange child say make any sense? He said that Shadow wasn't a shadow. Or that Vio had once been little. He claimed that nobody was missing from Hyrule, when they had been traveling for weeks and had seen so themselves. He knew that the Goddesses had not blessed him with unlimited knowledge and that he was to rely on the Links to inform him, but there were some things that he knew to be, and to not be, true.

The confusion he felt brought forth a distant memory of when Link had felt such confusion, speaking to a strange old man in by a river as he inquired about a boat. The man said strange things and Link had left with one thought in mind. Realization dawned on him and he accepted the logic again without question.

The child was insane.

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Review please? :3


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